Saucer



April 24, 1951 w. H. MARTIN 2,550,075

SAUCER Filed Feb. 12, 1948 3nventor W/u/AM h. MAM/N (Ittomeg Patented p 24.1951 '2? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAUCER William H. Martin, NorthHollywood, Calif.

Application February 12, 1948, Serial No. 7,861

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to saucers and other dishes of like nature.

An object of the present invention is to provide a saucer embodying means for spacing a cup or the like from the inner bottom thereof to obviate a cup or tumbler picking up any spillage there may be in the saucer and dripping the same on the person of the user.

Another object of the invention is to provide a saucer embodying means formed on the inner bottom surface thereof for effecting an interlocking engagement with a conventional cup or tumbler, whereby the latter is held in non-skidposition and will retain its position even upon the saucer being tipped at a relatively large angle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a saucer embodying means of thenature indicated, that spaces a cup or tumbler to provide an air-circulating space between the latter and the inner surface of the saucer, whereby more rapid cooling of a liquid in the cup or saucer is effected.

A further object of the invention is to provide a saucer, as indicated, that effectively centers a cup or tumbler.

My invention also has for its objects to provide suchmeans that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by Way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a saucer according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view thereof, showing a cup in place thereon.

The present saucer is designed for a conventional cup or tumbler. The cup 5 shown is intended as exemplary and the same has a circular bottom 6 that is formed by an inwardly dished face i to have an annular support face 8. In Fig. 1, this annular face is represented by concentric parallel dot-and-dash circles 8a.

The saucer that is illustrated is provided with an upwardly faced dished surface 9 and, centrally of said surface, is provided with a spiral 2 embossment [0 that comprises the novel means of the present invention.

The spiral embossment is formed to have a half round cross-section and, starting at H, at the approximate center of the saucer, continues in substantially uniformly spaced convolutions ii. that rogress toward the rim of the saucer and terminate about midway between said rim and the saucer center. In the present instance, the top edge i3 of all the convolutions is shown in a common plane, although the same may be formed so that said top edge is lowest at the saucer center and is gradually more elevated until the spiral embossment blends into the surface 9.

The embossment thus formed defines a spiral well I4 that has convolutions paralleling the convolutions of the spiral. It will be evident that this well will receive any spillage of cup 5 and, unless said spillage is of large amount, the embossment convolutions will be thereabove.

According to the invention, the half round shape of the convolution is interrupted from a point [5 to a point I6 of the embossment by a removal of a portion thereof to materially reduce its height. Said interrupted portion is defined by a flat face ll that starts from the well and slopes angularly outward and upward substantially as shown. Said face [1, ofcourse, follows the spiral curvature of the embossment between points [5 and I6.

The convolutions of the embossment are so proportioned and the interrupted or flattened face I! is so placed, that cup 5 is positioned substantially centrally of the saucer. The annular cup face 8 falls between convolutions I8 and I9, the former inward thereof and the latter outward Hence, the inner convolution 18 will engage the dished face 1 of the cup and thereby space face 8 from well I4. Since convolutions l8 and i9 straddle the associated portion of cup face 8, the cup is confined therebetween and any tendency for the cup to slide is prevented by said convolutions. Thus, regardless of the direction in which the saucer may be tilted, as while carrying the same, unless the angle of tilt is unduly large, the embossment convolutions will hold the cup against slipping. In fact, the angle of tilt may approach the point where the cup becomes unstable or over-balanced and yet sliding of the cup is obviated.

The interrupted angular lower face [1 affords a place where the cup face 8 may pass from between convolutions I8 and I9 and over the latter convolution. Fig. 1 shows this association 3 wherein the portion of the cup face 8 that is designated by the numeral 20, crosses over the top of the angular fiat face [1. Said face 8, thereby, rests upon that portion of edge 2| that is designated by numeral 22.

It will be noted that the spiral embossment has physical contact with both the dished face 1 of the cup and with the annuar support face 8 to hold the cup in the mentioned non-sliding position; to space the cup from the bottom of well l4 and, thereby,'hold-the same out of contact with spillage in said well; and to provide a spiral aircirculating space beneath the cup, the latter space comprising said well.

While I have illustrated and described what I now regard as the preferred embodiment of my invention, the construction is, of .course, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. I therefore, do not wish to restrict myself to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but desire to avail myself of all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a conventional cup havinga bottom annular support face defining an inwardly dished bottom face, and a saucer having a dished upper face and formed with a spiral embossment on said latter face that extends from the approximate center of the saucer toward the rim thereof, said embossment, along one of its convolutions, being reduced in height with relation to the remaining convolutions whereby the bottom annular support face of the cup is adapted to cross over above said reduced convolution and the remaining portion of said annular support face resides between convolutions to be held thereby against slippage.

2. The combination with a cup having a flat circular downwardly directed rim surrounding an upwardly dished bottom face, of a saucer having a dished upper face provided with a spiral embossment that extends from the approximate center of the saucer toward but short of the peripheral edge of the saucer, the tops of the convolutions of said spiral embossment being rounded over whereby the same have a half-round cross-section, one of said convolutions, on the I side thereof directed toward the center of the saucer, being provided with an angularly directed flat face resulting from a removal of the inner and part of the upper portion of said one convolution whereby said one convolution is lower than the remaining convolutions, and whereby the annular rim of the cup is adapted to set between and below the tops of the remaining convolutions, one point of said rim passing above and across the mentioned lower convolution.

3. A saucer having a dished upper face, and a spiral embossment formed. on said face and extending in substantially uniform convolutions from the approximate center of the saucer toward the rim thereof, the top edges of all of the convolutions being in a, common fiat plane whereby the height dimensions of said convolutions are greatest at the center of the saucer and gradually lessen toward the rim of the saucer, said embossment, along a convolution outward of the center convolution, being reduced in height below the mentioned plane, whereby the bottom of a, cup placed on said saucer has its peripheral edge residing, in part, between convolutions and, in part, engaged with the re: duced portion of the embossment to, thereby, hold a cup against lateral displacement relative to the saucer.

- 'WILL AM H.. MARTIN.

REFERENCES CITED 'The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

